


Hale Christmas Tree Farm

by moretomhardy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 17:25:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17125604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretomhardy/pseuds/moretomhardy
Summary: Stiles is back from college for his last winter break and looking to pick up some seasonal work. Good thing Derek is still hiring for the Hale Christmas Tree Farm this late in the season, just like usual.





	Hale Christmas Tree Farm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nath_happiness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nath_happiness/gifts).



> Merry Christmas to [herewegohappiness](http://herewegohappiness.tumblr.com)! I hope you like this. I wish it was like twice as long, but the cards were not falling right for me this time.
> 
> Many thanks to Leonie for running the secret santa, and for putting up with me submitting this outrageously late.

"Hey, Dad," Stiles grinned as he tumbled out of his jeep and into his father's arms. "Did you miss me?"

"No, I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet." Dad squeezed him back.

“Rude!” Stiles gasped while his dad chuckled.

“Of course I missed you, kiddo, I only tell you that every time you call.”

"Great," Stiles jumped back and clapped his hand to his dad's shoulder, "then you won't mind helping me lug all my bags in."

Dad rolled his eyes, but he followed Stiles around to the trunk and slung a duffel over his shoulder.

"So, uh, hey." Stiles shut the door and tried to look uninterested. "Do you know if Derek is still hiring for the tree farm?"

Dad sighed. "Yes, he is. I'm sure he's keeping his "Hiring" sign up until you walk through his gate."

"Dad!" Stiles' face flamed. "It's a very busy time of year for him, you should know. And I think I count as an experienced farm hand by now, so I'm a valuable employee, and that's it."

Dad shook his head and walked away, muttering, "I'll believe that when Hale cools it with the cow eyes."

Stiles shook his head and stomped up to his room; the only way Derek was giving him cow eyes was in his dreams.

===

Stiles took the familiar drive out to Hale Farm the next morning, pulling up in front of the farm house a few hours before the weekday crowds would start showing up. Derek stalked out the front door as Stiles turned off the jeep, wiping his hands on a tea towel.

"Morning, Derek!" Stiles chirped as he hopped out of his jeep. "My dad told me you were still looking for help over the holidays?”

"Yeah," Derek frowned. "If you're up for it, I'll start putting you on the schedule. Same time frame as last year?"

"Yup," Stiles chirped. "I'm pretty much available whenever. I can start today if you need the extra hands."

"Sure. You can head out to the pony ring to find Boyd, I'm sure he can find something for you to do. I'll get together some paperwork for you to sign at lunch."

"Great, thanks, Derek!"

Derek just nodded and headed back inside, leaving Stiles to appreciate that the view from behind had only gotten better in his absence before he headed off to find Boyd.

Stiles liked working at the tree farm, for all that it could get hectic, and he settled into the rhythm of the job like a familiar glove.

===

The sky was dark and heavy with clouds when Stiles got to the farm about two weeks after he started, and the wind cut straight through his clothes when he got out of the car. Stiles waved to Erica as she pulled her pickup in behind Stiles’ Jeep and the two of them got to work getting the attractions ready. Stiles didn’t know what kind of crazy person would show up at a Christmas tree farm with the storm of the decade bearing down on them, but Erica just rolled her eyes when Stiles voiced that thought.

“We’ll probably have more people than usual show up,” Erica said. “Parents will want to get their kids good and tired before they’re cooped up in the house for who knows how long for the storm.”

“That makes a terrible kind of sense,” Stiles sighed.

Derek emerged from somewhere out in the fields after a while, Boyd in tow. “You two almost ready here?” He frowned, looking around the area.

“Just about done,” Stiles said.

“Good. I'm closing the farm at 2 whether or not we still have people here, so start shutting everything down at 1:30 to give everyone plenty of time to get out of here. I don't want anyone getting stuck on the road home, including all of you."

"Got it, chief," Erica saluted. "Are you gonna be around to get the cranky parents off the lot?"

"Obviously," Derek rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," Stiles grinned, "really let those people-skills out and see who wants to stay here then."

Derek bared his teeth at Stiles and stomped off toward the house, leaving Boyd behind.

"Come on, baby," Erica waved Boyd over to the pony ring, "help me get these little demons presentable."

===

Erica was right about the parents in the end, and they had nearly twice the number of people on the farm as usual for a weekday. They were also surprisingly resistant towards leaving at a reasonable time that would get their children home safely, and Derek had to break out his grumpiest bitchface to get the most stubborn among them off of the property by 2:15, even though it had started snowing at 12:45. Derek disappeared out into the fields again, leaving Stiles, Erica, and Boyd to clean up the yard while Isaac dealt with the animals.

Isaac came out of the barn about half an hour after the last set of guests had given in and left. “Derek hasn’t sent anyone home yet?” he asked, looking spooked.

“No, but I'm just about done with my part of the yard,” Stiles said. “If you want, you can head home now and I can finish up with the animals. I think my jeep is a little more storm-worthy than your Honda."

"Really?" The tension melted out of Isaac's frame as Stiles nodded. "Thanks, Stiles, you're a life-saver. I'll owe you one next time you don't like the shift schedule."

"I'm holding you to that. Now get out of here, I don't want to see your car in the ditch on the way home."

Isaac grinned and jogged off while Stiles packed up the last of the tools from his area. He waved goodbye to Erica and Boyd, who looked like they were also about done, then headed to the barn with the toolbox to put it away and see what the animals needed done. It had been a long time since Derek had put him on any animal duties and he was looking forward to rubbing down the ponies.

===

The barn door swung open about an hour later as Stiles was finishing up, an icy gust of wind sweeping a small avalanche of snow inside along with Derek.

"Isaac," Derek called, stomping snow off of his feet and unwinding a snow-covered scarf from around his neck, "I'm not comfortable driving out there, I think you're gonna have to stay the night."

"Uh, hey, not Isaac." Stiles shut the cabinet where he'd been putting away the last of the supplies.

"Stiles." Derek straightened up, frowning. "What are you doing still here?"

"Isaac seemed freaked about the storm, so I told him he could head home after I finished up in the yard. I guess I kind of lost track of time in here, is it really bad out?"

"Yeah," Derek scowled, clutching at his scarf, "it's too dangerous to get on the roads right now. They said it was even worse than they thought it would be."

"Shit." Stiles scrubbed his hands over his face. "I guess I should call my dad."

"Yeah. And of course you're spending the night here, so tell him not to worry." Derek stared at the floor as he re-wrapped his scarf around his neck, now free of snow.

"I am, am I?" Stiles smirked as he pulled out his phone.

"Obviously. I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed wrapping your car around a tree. Are you done in here?"

"Yeah, I just finished up."

"Then come on into the house and you can let your dad know you won't be coming home tonight."

Stiles bundled up in all of the clothes he had taken off in the relative warmth of the barn and followed Derek out into the storm, where the wind nearly swept him off his feet. Derek grabbed his arm to steady him and didn't let go until they were in the mudroom at the back of the small farmhouse, shedding their snowy outer clothes. Stiles was shivering violently and getting inside the house proper didn't make things any better.

"Dude," he rounded on Derek, "turn on your heater, we're both gonna freeze to death in here."

Derek winced and Stiles' jaw dropped.

"Don't tell me you don't have a heater. What kind of self-flagellating bullshit is that?"

"I do have a heater, it's just... been on the fritz lately and I haven't had time to get someone out to fix it."

"Are you kidding me," Stiles groaned. "Tell me you at least have a fireplace."

Derek stared down at his socked feet. "Um, no."

It was Stiles' turn to wince, as he realized there was a pretty good reason for Derek not to have included a fireplace in the house he and Laura built to replace the one that had burned down with most of their family inside. "Uh, what about a space heater?"

"I've got one of those." Derek disappeared back into one of the bedrooms while Stiles wandered into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Derek emerged and plugged in the space heater on the counter. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "I've got a pan of chicken and veggies I was gonna put in the oven."

"Yeah, dude, that sounds great. I'm gonna let my dad know I'm stranded."

Derek nodded and Stiles ventured out into the living room to call his dad.

_"Hey kiddo,"_ Dad answered, _"you make it back from the farm alright?"_

"Uh, so about that, no. Derek didn't want me to leave by the time I finished up, so I'm staying here."

_"That's nice of him, I'm glad he didn't let you drive with the way things have picked up out there in the last hour."_

"I guess you didn't make it home?"

_"No, my shift isn't over yet. We might camp out here tonight, or if it clears up a little one of the plow trucks might come by to pick us up. I'm not going to try driving a cruiser in these conditions."_

"Okay. Stay safe, Dad, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

_"You might be out there a couple of days, Stiles, it normally takes a while to get a plow out Derek's way in a storm this bad."_

"Well, then I guess I'll see you when I see you."

_"I love you, son, and be nice to Derek while you're out there."_

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Love you too dad, don't do anything too heroic."

Stiles wandered back into the kitchen and helped Derek make a salad and set the table while the chicken cooked.

"So," Stiles said after they sat down at the table to eat, "how would you feel about moving this to the couch where we can wrap up in blankets and not freeze to death."

Derek looked up in surprise. "Are you still cold?"

"Uh, yes! It is probably 50 degrees in here, max."

"Sorry," Derek muttered, poking at his food, "I guess I kind of got used to the cold."

Stiles snorted. "No, you're just weirdly resistant to the cold. I bet you're some kind of mutant."

Derek stared at Stiles with wide eyes.

"That was a joke, just so we're all clear here. I didn't mean to offend you somehow."

Derek grunted and looked down at his plate. "Come on," he stood up and grabbed his plate, "let's get you warmed up." Derek lead the way out into the living room and put on a cooking show while Stiles got settled on the couch in a nest of blankets. They watched a few episodes until Derek started nodding off. After his head nearly hit Stiles' shoulder Stiles reached out and turned the TV off.

"I think it's time for you to get to bed," he chuckled, nudging Derek awake with his elbow.

Derek groaned as he straightened and rubbed his eyes. "I'll go change the sheets for you."

"Wait wait wait, I'm not stealing your bed from you. Keep your sheets, I'll stay out here on the couch."

Derek huffed like Stiles had said something outrageous. "Fine. Then let me go grab the space heater for you."

"I'm not stealing your space heater from you, either!"

"Stiles, I'll be fine in a real bed. You're gonna be out here with only blankets on the couch, you need the heater more than me."

"I'm not gonna make you freeze just because I couldn't pay attention to the weather and leave before I got stranded out here."

"I'm not gonna take the bed and the heater." Derek glared at Stiles.

"Too bad, cuz I'm not taking them either."

"Fine, then why don't we share them?"

"Um." Stiles stared at Derek, who seemed surprised by his own suggestion. But this was the opportunity of a lifetime and Stiles wasn't about to pass it up. "Sure, big guy. That way we can share body heat and all, be even warmer."

Derek snorted, but he didn't back out of his suggestion as he stood up. "I'll go change the sheets, then. Do you want to take a shower and borrow some clothes?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Stiles followed Derek into his bedroom, where Derek pulled out a pair of underwear, sweats, and a T shirt for Stiles.

"There's a pack of extra toothbrushes under the sink you can use," Derek said.

"Thanks, man." Stiles grabbed the clothes and tried not to hyperventilate at the thought of wearing Derek's underwear.

He took a nice long, warm shower since Derek had one of those hot water heaters that never ran out, and only regretted it a tiny bit when he emerged out of the bathroom into the chilly hallway. The bedroom, at least, was pretty warm when Stiles opened the door. Derek was sitting on the bed reading a book and Stiles's heart gave an unexpected little pang of longing at the sight.

"Bathroom's all yours, big guy."

Derek smiled and put his book down to get up and head to the bathroom. Stiles jumped into the bed and tried to fall asleep before Derek got back, but he was only gone for five minutes, so that didn't work out. Derek puttered around the room for a minute straightening things before he crawled into bed with Stiles.

"'Night, Stiles," Derek murmured as he settled on his side, facing out toward the room.

"'Night," Stiles croaked. Derek seemed to fall asleep with no problem, but Stiles laid awake for several more minutes, staring at the shape of Derek's shoulder in the dark, before the day’s work finally caught up with him as well.

===

Stiles woke up to a face full of soft, dark hair, and Derek breathing gently against his shoulder. His heart kicked into overdrive almost before his brain had processed the situation.

Derek rubbed his cheek against Stiles' shoulder, stubble catching and pulling on Stiles' shirt, before resettling and curling his body a little closer to Stiles' with a satisfied little noise in his throat.

Stiles' heart skipped a beat.

"Derek?" he whispered.

Derek went stiff in Stiles' arms before shoving himself up and away from Stiles. "Sorry," he muttered, turning his face away, but not before Stiles caught sight of a hectic blush staining Derek's cheekbones.

"Hey," Stiles caught Derek by the bicep as he swung his legs over the bed in an attempt to escape. "What are you apologizing for?"

Derek swallowed hard and kept his face turned away from Stiles, but he stopped trying to leave. "I know that you don't... want that with me, so I shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation."

Stiles stared at the back of Derek's head. "What are you talking about?"

"Stiles," Derek started, sounding irritated.

"No," Stiles cut him off. "What planet have you been living on where I don't want to wake up in the morning cuddled up with you?"

"Um." Derek peaked over his shoulder at Stiles.

"Wherever you've been, I'd just like to set the record straight for the here and now and say that I would like nothing more than to wake up like that for the rest of my life."

"What?" Derek's eyes were wide as he wheeled around to look Stiles in the face.

"You better believe it, buddy," Stiles grinned. "As soon as the roads are cleared, I'm taking you on a date."

A smile broke over Derek's face like the dawn. "What are we gonna do until then?"

"Oh, baby," Stiles reached up to tug Derek back down in the bed with him, "I have plenty of ideas."


End file.
